Pune: Pune residents have received major relief as the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has permanently withdrawn water supply cuts after all four reservoirs of the Khadakwasla dam project reached 100 per cent live storage. Officials said the city now has sufficient drinking water reserves for the coming months, thanks to heavy rainfall across the catchment areas during July.
Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram confirmed that regular water supply has resumed and no further restrictions will be imposed. The decision comes after the Khadakwasla dam complex, Pune's main source of drinking water, reached its full live storage capacity of 29.15 TMC. On the same day last year, the reservoirs held 25.92 TMC, or 88.93 per cent of their capacity.
The Khadakwasla project, which includes Khadakwasla, Panshet, Varasgaon and Temghar dams, continues to receive steady inflows despite a slight reduction in rainfall over the past few days. According to the Irrigation Department, the four reservoirs received a combined inflow of 503 million cubic feet (mcft) on Wednesday. Water is also being released through spillways, powerhouses and canals to maintain safe reservoir levels.
Other major reservoirs supplying the Pune region are also nearly full. Bhama Askhed dam has reached 98.66 per cent of its live storage, while Pavana dam, the main drinking water source for Pimpri-Chinchwad, is at 97.14 per cent capacity.
Heavy rainfall in the Western Ghats has played a key role in filling the reservoirs. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said Bhira has recorded the highest seasonal rainfall in Pune district at 7,773 mm, followed by Tamhini with 7,039 mm. Within the Khadakwasla catchment, Temghar has received 2,730 mm of rainfall this monsoon, followed by Panshet with 1,995 mm, Varasgaon with 1,884 mm and Khadakwasla with 680 mm.
Kiran Deshmukh, Executive Engineer of the Khadakwasla Dam Division, said the spillway discharge from Khadakwasla Dam was increased to 13,981 cusecs on Wednesday morning due to sustained inflows. He said the discharge may be adjusted depending on rainfall and water levels. He also appealed to people to stay away from the Mutha riverbed and said authorities have been instructed to alert residents in low-lying areas.
The IMD has forecast moderate to heavy rainfall in the ghat sections over the next 24 hours and has issued an Orange Alert for Thursday. Senior Meteorologist S. D. Sanap said rainfall activity is expected to reduce after that, with the alert downgraded to Yellow for August 7. No major weather warning has been issued beyond that.
The water restrictions were first introduced on June 15 after weak monsoon conditions and concerns over the possible impact of El Niño. To conserve water, the PMC had started supplying water on alternate days based on odd and even dates. The restrictions were briefly lifted during the Ashadhi Wari in early July when reservoir levels improved but were reintroduced as a precaution.
Although heavy rainfall throughout July pushed the reservoirs to full capacity, the civic administration had not officially withdrawn the water cuts. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) General Secretary Hemant Sambhus had urged the administration to make an announcement. With all four dams now full, the Municipal Commissioner has officially confirmed that the alternate-day water supply system has been permanently discontinued.
Meanwhile, water storage across Maharashtra has also improved significantly. Jayakwadi (Nathsagar) dam has crossed 93.49 per cent live storage, while Ujani dam stands at 98.79 per cent capacity. The Irrigation Department has reduced the discharge from Ujani from 60,000 cusecs to 50,000 cusecs as inflows have slowed. Officials said reservoir operations across the Krishna and Godavari basins will continue to be managed according to rainfall forecasts, inflows and downstream river conditions.
